Jason Dunn
12-30-2003, 05:00 AM
Hola Smartphone Thoughts readers! I'm back from Mexico, and I have almost five hundred email messages staring me in the face. 8O But fear not, I'm feeling very recharged and ready to take on the world again. :way to go: My vacation was wonderful, and I made great use of both my Canon Digital Rebel and my Canon S400 (sometimes it made more sense to carry the "little guy"). I've <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/files/nuevovallarta2003.wmv">created a short Pocket PC-formatted video</a> for you to look at either streamed or on your Pocket PC - or streaming <b><i>onto</i></b> your Pocket PC if you're REALLY cool. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/whale.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> I carried my Pocket PC with me, mostly for using <a href="http://www.mobimate.com/ppc/worldmate/pro/index.shtml">MobiMate's Worldmate Pro 2004</a>. Because I was in a disconnected state (<a href="http://www.fido.ca">Fido</a> has no GPRS roaming in Mexico it seems :-() I used it as a currency converter, and weather updates for three days, but beyond that I didn't use my Pocket PC for much. It was basically a glorified calculator. ;-) My Smartphone was used for a few phone calls, but without GPRS it's a pretty "dumb" phone (I switched to a Tanager model Smartphone the day before I left, so not much was loaded). My laptop received the most use, both as a mobile gaming platform (I finally had time to play Warcraft III!), and as a photo storage unit and editor (I sure do love <a href="http://www.picasa.net">Picasa</a>!) I also spent quite a bit of time reading an amazing book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440178002/qid=1072756006//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-4027647-7410212?v=glance&s=books&n=507846">Shogun</a>. Considering my obsession with Japanese culture and design, it's a bit odd that I haven't already read it, but what a book! If you haven't read it, I highly reccomend it - it's not a "fast" read, but it's a good one. The book has also re-kindled my desire to learn to speak Japanese. In a few months I might be asking for volunteers to help me using <a href="http://www.skype.com">Skype</a>. :mrgreen: I'm glad to be back, but boy it's cold here - I went from 27 Celsius to -10 Celsius. Brr! Here are a few pictures of some of the interesting things I saw while I was there<!>:<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/gecko.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/nativity_scene.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/sunset.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/>All told, I took over 600 pictures, but I of course didn't keep that many. Let's just say that I was glad I had my 2.25 GB worth of CF cards. :-DIt's good to be back - now I have a lot of catching up to do...did anyone else go away on a Christmas vacation? Post some pics and tell some stories!